Books › The devil of Nanking
The devil of Nanking
First published 2005 · 363 pages
A dread-soaked descent into a neon-lit underworld where historical atrocities and present-day obsessions violently collide.
What it feels like
This electrifying literary thriller plunges the reader into a dread-soaked, claustrophobic atmosphere where the neon shadows of 1990s Tokyo conceal the darkest horrors of 1937 Nanking. The pace is fiercely propulsive, taking hold with a heady mix of lurking fear, sexual tension, and overt violence that refuses to let go. As the narrative weaves between a young woman's dangerous obsession and the terrifying power dynamics of a criminal underworld, the emotional texture grows increasingly suffocating. The prose is unflinching and atmospheric, perfectly capturing the alienation of an alien city and the heavy burden of hidden history. It is a gripping, explosive read designed for those who devour dark, suspenseful fiction that confronts the ghosts of the past.
- Mood
- dread-soaked
- claustrophobic
- tense
- shadowy
- Tone
- intense
- dark
- suspenseful
- unflinching
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- obsession and historical trauma · alienation in a foreign city · the weight of hidden atrocities · underworld power dynamics
- The writing
- Atmospheric and gripping, weaving a heady mix of lurking fear and overt tension that refuses to let the reader look away.
- The arc
- Moves from a simmering, obsessive curiosity into a suffocating descent through fear, culminating in an explosive and harrowing climax.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave dark, electrifying literary thrillers that plunge into historical atrocities and dangerous underworlds.
Content notes
- overt violence
- sexual tension
- historical atrocities
- gangster violence
About the book
Now reissued as a B-format paperback, an extraordinary, electrifying thriller by one of Britain's bestselling crime-writers.Tokyo, 1990Grey Hutchins is in pursuit of an obsession. She is searching for a piece of film taken during the infamous Nanking massacre of 1937. Some say it never existed. Grey is certain that it does, and that it lies hidden - somewhere in Tokyo.Alone in an alien city, Grey becomes a hostess in an exclusive club catering for Japanese businessmen - and gangsters. One gangster dominates – an old man in a wheelchair surrounded by a terrifying entourage – who is rumoured to rely on a powerful elixir for his continued health. It is an elixir that others want - at any price...With its focus on 1990's Tokyo and Nanking in 1937, The Devil of Nanking is a literary thriller of the highest order. With its heady atmosphere of overt violence, lurking fear and sexual tension, this is a novel that takes hold of the reader and does not let go until its explosive final pages.
Description from Open Library.
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